Slave

The words that came were not intelligible. But the whip that cracked was quite clear. The human kept his head down as the armored form strode down the line of workers, whip flying here and there. Every so often, it would lick out and strike flesh. But none of the workers cried out. Pain was nothing new him. They had all learned to keep silent. The Overseer did not like extraneous noise. All of the workers had learned very quickly that any noise –made by them or not- brought pain. It didn't matter whether the pain came from the whip or the collars round their necks, in the end it was the same.

The slave bent to his task, carefully sweeping the detritus from the automated machine that he had been chained to. He kept his hands well clear of the whirring blades. He did not know what the machine was or what it did, only that it had moving piece that brought irregular chunks of metal under many whirring blades. When the blades retreated, the pieces of metal were smaller and the cut pieces were dropped onto another moving piece to go to another machine. He had no idea what the metal was for and truth be told? He didn't care. All he cared about was that he had ten seconds between each load of metal to clear the shavings and small debris from the machine before another load of metal was dumped into place. If he failed, the machine got clogged and the Overseer got annoyed. That was… to be avoided. His hands were quick and sure. He never lost fingers like many others he saw. He never…

Another load came crashing down and he retreated a bit. Not far enough to keep small shards of metal from lashing his face. He shielded his eyes and ignored the tiny pains. He ignored everything but his work. He did not remember much. He remembered a voice, a tone, a gentle touch. But then… pain. He had woken on a table, green forms in armor all around his. His mind… shied away from what little it remembered. He paid no mind to anything but his work. He couldn't slow, couldn't stop. This was what he was. What he was for. He swept the bin again with fingers that bled and…

His thought processes came to an abrupt halt as the machine in front of him, his life and work, suddenly went still. He jerked away from it reflexively. The machine was never still. He stared down at the conveyor belt, confused, then up at the chute from which metal came. But nothing happened. He waited, but nothing happened. He darted quick looks to the left and right and every machine on the row had stopped working. This was impossible. The machines never slowed. Never stopped.

An angry shout pulled his attention from the immobile machines. He kept his head down but glanced to where the Overseer stood, whip hanging loose as he argued with someone that the slave couldn't see. He waited, silent as the Overseer spoke, punctuating his angry words with gestures. But then the hulking armored form stumbled and fell. The slave stared, wide eyed as the terrifying form that kept all of the slaves in line went to his knees and then fell to the floor. The armored form rolled away and then rose to a sitting position. But… was that fear on the Overseer's face? The slave jerked his eyes back to the machine, waiting for it to come alive again. Waiting for it to…

He did not cry out as something took hold of his arm. The chain attached to his collar snapped his neck back as whatever had grabbed his arm pulled him. The pain was intense, but he kept his mouth clamped shut.

"Stupid short chains." The female voice was mild, but held irritation. He jerked again as something tore through the chain as if it were made of paper. "There." The female voice held something that the slave found terrifying. He couldn't define it. He kept his eyes downcast as the grip on his arm turned him. "Look at me." The voice commanded.

That voice was to be obeyed. He didn't want to look, but something compelled him to raise his eyes. The form in front of him was vaguely female. It was human in shape, but… The mechanical things that covered half of her face made it quite clear that she was not human. Grineer. She was one of the clone soldiers who served the Grineer Empire. He fought to keep his face blank. The Grineer were his masters. While he hated them for the pain they inflicted on him, he feared them more. But there was something else. Something deep inside him. Something he couldn't define or express. The female Grineer looked at him and then smiled.

"You will do." She said with a nod. She started off, pulling the slave by the arm. He jerked a bit. He wasn't supposed to move away from the machine. The Overseer… Wait. Why was the Overseer cowering away from this female? What was going on? "Come." She barked and gave his arm a twitch that promised pain.

He did not resist, following this new Grineer meekly as she led him away from the machines that were his life. They grumbled to life behind him and he paused, only to be jerked again, harder this time.

"Come along." The Grineer snapped. "We do not have a lot of time."

He did not resist as the Grineer pulled him away from the machines that were his life. He followed as quickly as his shackled legs could. She paused and snarled. Before he could even blink, she had dropped his arm and something was in her hand. A blade! He quailed, but she did not falter, slashing once. He retreated a step and then froze as the chains that had hobbled him fell loose. She nodded and holstered her sword. "Better." She took hold of the remains of one of the chains on his wrist and started off.

He had never seen this area. Or he didn't think he had. He followed his new master (mistress?) as fast as he could even when she increased her speed. He had no idea what was going on. Just that things had changed. He… wasn't sure he liked that. He hadn't been happy doing what he had been doing, but he had understood it. Now? All he could do was follow and hope that whatever awaited him was better than being torn by metal shards. His guide led him through many different twists and turns until they finally came to a guarded door.

"We are expected." The female Grineer said coldly as both guards looked at her. Neither moved and she shook her head. "Are you going to be stupid, boys?" Barely repressed violence sang in her tone.

"Orders are that no one- Urk!" The guard who had been speaking was suddenly on the floor, scrabbling at the long line that was dragging him towards the female Grineer. He had time to scream once as her blade flashed. Then he lay still. The slave was amazed. Who was this female Grineer that she could cut down other Grineer so easily?

"Are you going to be stupid too?" The female clone said in a too sweet voice as the other guard half raised his weapon. "I was ordered..." She heavily stressed the word. "... to find a base and bring it here."

"You are not in my chain of command." The guard retorted. "And our orders are clear."

"Yeah." The female replied and then several things happened at once. He was on the ground as the male clone charged. The odd line snaked out again, but this time, the male clone managed to deflect it somehow. The female had her sword in hand and she cut once, twice, both times drawing blood. But neither wound was mortal. Somehow, the male Grineer had managed to block the attacks partially. "Stop!" The female commanded when the male drew back to aim his weapon. "Don't make me kill you! You are skilled beyond common lines."

"Orders are orders." The male retorted. Then he screamed as the female moved. The slave could barely see her blade as it looped in, cleaving the weapon and incidentally taking off both his hands. He did not fall, just met the female's eyes. "I am Grineer."

"Yes." The female sounded pensive for just a moment. "Yes, you are." Then he blade licked out and the slave bit back bile as the male Grineer's head fell off. "Pity." She mused as she kicked the head away from where it had fallen near her foot. "His lines were strong." She shook her head and pulled a device from a pouch on her armor. She did something with it and the male Grineer's body glowed faintly. "Best I can do for you, brother."

Movement appeared nearby and the slave turned to where... He went still as a trio of Grineer Reclaimers appeared. The Grineer had little use for medics. If one was hurt or died, they were simply biomass to be recycled. Biomass to be 'reclaimed'. They were also the ones who came and 'removed' inefficient slaves. Dead or simply not up to standards it made little difference to the Grineer. The screams that followed them everywhere they went were a knife through any slave's heart.

"Captain." One of the Reclaimers spoke evenly as they started to gather up the slain Grineer. "Strong lines?" She asked as she scrutinized the glowing form.

"Yeah." The one called 'Captain' said with a shrug. "Obeyed orders even when suicidal and slowed me. Fought well."

"Good lines indeed." The Reclaimer replied. "This?" Her tone conveyed disgust as she scrutinized the slave who tried very hard not to move.

"It is needed." The other replied as she took the slave's chain in hand again, giving it a twitch. "Come on, base!" She snapped, pulling him away from the carnage that the Reclaimers were working on.

The door in front of them opened and the slave swallowed hard as he saw what lay within. Human bodies lay every which way, some missing parts. A table with restraints lay in the middle of the room and a gore stained Grineer stood by it. It looked... remarkably like the female holding his chain. Not that surprising, actually. They were all clones. These were clones of the same genetic line. How did he know that? It came from... somewhere, but he wasn't sure where. Nothing made a lot of sense.

"What took you so long?" The blood stained female Grineer demanded, waving at the table. The slave balked, but a quick jerk of the chain had him moving. "Get it up there. Maybe this one will have what we need."

"Idiot males. We can hope." The first clone said with a sigh as she pulled the slave to the table. "Up you get, Base. Now." Despite the threat of violence, despite everything... Something within the slave cried out to him and he snarled at her. She turned to look at him and a slow smile crossed her features. An evil smile. "Well, well, well... A brave base. Will wonders never cease?"

The blood stained Grineer snarled something unintelligible and swung a shock prod that appeared in her hands, but the human managed to dodge the blow. A quick motion and the remnants of the chain were out of the other Grineer's hands. His hands spun in a complicated pattern, sending the chains arcing around to deflect the shock prod and the sword that the other had drawn. But...they were not angry! They were both smiling!

"W... What?" The slave managed to grate out past lips long used to stillness as he dodged a blow.

"Strong and cute for a base." The first female said as she blocked a swinging chain. "If you survive this..." She paused and backed off for a moment. "Sister? Can we check his lines?"

"Sister, he is a base." The blood stained Grineer said with a sigh. "You know the Queens' declaration. Only the pure will survive. Grineer only."

"Yuck... I didn't...I mean... No. I am not talking about breeding with him!" The other replied, disgust etching her features. "I meant about breeding new lines of slaves from him." The other paused, thinking and the slave took the moment to run. Hopeless with the door now shut behind him, but he had to try. "No, no, no, Base.." He tried to dodge the harpoon thing that came from her hand but it hit him and he screamed as it sank into his calf muscle. "You are cute but there are limits."

"Won't help you." The slave snapped as she pulled him close, her sword ready.

"We don't need your help." The other snapped. "Get it on the table."

The slave was trying to pull the cable from his leg when a blow sent him reeling. Before he could gather his scattered wits, he was lying on the table, cold metal around his wrists and ankles. He struggled and screamed obscenities of course, but neither female paid him any attention as machinery swung down from the ceiling to hover over him. Then the pain started and all he could do was writhe in his bonds and scream. Finally, it ended and he was left to sob quietly.

"Well?" The Grineer female who had come to take him demanded.

"He is a match." The other declared with a laugh. "Finally. We have a match."

"Excellent!" The other said gleefully. "The queens were getting impatient, you know." This last sounded worried.

"I know." The other snapped. "Let's see if it recognizes him."

Something happened. The table was moving! The slave cried out as the restraints clicked open and the table rose at an angle. He scrambled for a hold but there was nothing to grab as he slid into a dark pit that had appeared in front of him. The fall was brief, but he surface he landed on was hard. Stone? He couldn't see anything. He couldn't hear anything. He felt around in the absolute blackness, feeling his way across what was obviously a cave floor. But then...

"Authorization?" The words were cold and mechanical, but... felt... strangely familiar. The voice was female, but... not.

"Help." The slave begged, unable to see. "Help me!"

"Human form confirmed." The female voice replied, sounding uneasy. "Identify yourself."

"I don't know who I am." The slave replied, trying not to cry as he kept feeling. Then his hands encountered something different. Metal. Cold metal. It went from the floor up beyond where he could reach standing on his toes. It was as if one wall of the cave was made of metal? "I don't know what is going on. Help me. Please!"

"I cannot." The female replied. "You are a trap. Intended to allow the Grineer access. That cannot be permitted."

"What?" The slave said, stunned.

"There are devices implanted within your body that will allow the Grineer access if you enter." The female voice replied. "I am sorry. But that cannot be permitted."

"They are listening... aren't they?" The slave said in a whisper.

"Yes." The female voice replied. "I cannot stop them. Functionality is limited currently."

"Can you remove whatever they put in me?" The slave asked, hope flaring.

"No." The voice replied and the slave wilted. "But..."

"But?" The slave pressed when whoever was speaking paused.

"But I know some people who can." The voice replied. "There is... one possibility. But it is dangerous. It will likely kill you."

"Better than this." The slave snapped. "Or helping the Grineer."

"Take three steps to your left and one step forward." The voice commanded. As the slave did, light shone into the cave and his eyes recoiled from the bright flashlights of the Grineer. "Hurry. Place your hands on the hull!"

"Now, now..." The voice of the Grineer female who had come and gotten him from the machine that had been his life sounded... cautious. "Don't do anything hasty, base."

"Grineer Mora." The voice of what had to be a machine of some kind was as cold as space now. "Unauthorized access is not permitted. Step away."

"He is ours!" The Grineer snapped.

"Not anymore." The female voice was sultry now. "Now...? He is mine!" Two small spots appeared on the metal in front of the slave and without thinking, he laid his hands on them. "Welcome home, boy."

Something grabbed him. It felt... warm. Something else slapped his leg and he stared down at the harpoon that the Grineer female had stuck him with before retracting. It hadn't penetrated this time. He was surrounded by some kind of energy. It felt... good. Every ache and pain that he had been feeling was fading. The Grineer screamed. Rage or pain, he couldn't know.

Where do you wish to go? The female thing's voice was in his head! This may kill you. The least I can do is be hospitable.

I wanna go home... The slave said weakly as a hole appeared in the metal in front of him. I wanna go home...

Then let us find your home. I am Elena. You are? He had glimpses of blue, of gold. Then he was lying on something warm and soft as golden energy played over him. It felt... heavenly.

I don't know. The slave said weakly. I don't remember... Am I... endangering you?

Yes. The voice of the one who called herself Elena said quietly. But I tire of this place and the Grineer have earned my ire throwing all kinds of people at my security systems to die. Rest. We will find your home, if it still exists.

I am scared. The slave said weakly as darkness came for him. But it wasn't hungry or angry. It was warm and comforting. What are you?

I am a spacecraft. Elena said with a small laugh. And now... Let's get the hell out of here. A rumble sounded in the near distance, but he fell into darkness comforted.